


Fragile Skin and Breakable bone

by StupidGenius



Series: Teen Wolf Ships [2]
Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - No Werewolves, Alternate Universe - Zombie Apocalypse, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Dead Sheriff Stilinski, EVERYONE'S HUMAN, Hurt Lydia, Hurt Stiles, I promise, Love Confessions, Near Death Experiences, sorry about that
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-06
Updated: 2015-12-06
Packaged: 2018-05-05 08:33:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,810
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5368613
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/StupidGenius/pseuds/StupidGenius
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“You ever wonder if the world’ll ever get over this?” Isaac whispers. “if we’ll ever go back to how it used to be?” The room quiets.</p><p><em>No</em>, Lydia thinks. <em>I doubt we will</em>.<br/>----</p><p>In which the zombie apocalypse isn’t exactly the best time to fall in love, but it’s the only time they have.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Fragile Skin and Breakable bone

**Author's Note:**

> anonymous asked: “Can you write about zombie apocalypse AU or rather, The Last of Us (That is if you know about The Last of Us) setting for the Teen Wolf ship series you're doing? Thanks!!! (Stydia please!!!) Loved your first story!!”
> 
> Now, i said before that i was probably only going to write one fic per pairing, but i liked this idea. Not really familiar with the game, but i gave it a shot.

There’s a large blood stain on Lydia’s shirt from the wound in her side, and Stiles is sprawled out on the ground beside her, gash on his leg bleeding sluggishly. He turns his head to face her, face pale.

“We have to get back to camp.” He breathes. She shakes her head.

“Don’t.”

“Lydia –”

“I’m _bitten_ , Stiles!” she snaps. “I’ve been infected, alright? I’m not going anywhere near the others.” She takes a breath. “You should leave while you can.”

“I’m not leaving you.” He insists.

“You should have Melissa check you out.” She continues. “I know you fractured at least a few ribs. That cut could get infected.”

“You don’t get to decide what I do.” Stiles sits up, wincing. “Come over here.”

“No.”

“We need to bandage that.”

“ _You_ need to bandage _your_ leg. “ Lydia corrects. He scowls. “I’m not letting you waist valuable first aid supplies on me, not when I won’t even be human in a few hours. If you’re not going to run, at least let me make sure that cut’s cleaned properly.” Stiles stares at her for a moment, then obliges, scooting forward and pushing his backpack toward her. She pulls out the small first aid kit and inspects the gash.

“I’m sorry.” Stiles says after a moment. She knows exactly what he’s talking about.

“It’s not your fault.”

“I was so stupid.” He mumbles. “Going back for a comic book. You told em to leave, and now –you –”

“Shut up.” She snaps. “Just – stop. It’s your birthday. You deserve something nice for your birthday.”

“This is the opposite of something nice.” He croaks. She looks up at him.

He has that look on his face. Like he’s trying not to cry, but he knows he will anyway. His eyebrows are furrowed, lips pressed into a thin line, eyes bright. He lets out a shaky breath, and t almost sounds like a sob. She swallows.

“You got the comic, didn’t you?”

“Wasn’t really what I wanted.” He whispers, almost too quiet for her to hear.

 

 

* * *

 

 

‘Camp’ is the sheriff’s station in the middle of town. Melissa set up a makeshift infirmary in one of the cells, and most of their other ‘pack mates’ (As Stiles seems so keen on calling them) sleep near the main entrance. Stiles sleeps in what used to be the Sheriff’s office. No one argues with him.

There are nine of them total staying there. Melissa, and her son, Scott. The Hales; Laura, Derek, Cora, and their adoptive brother, Isaac Lahey. Boyd. He had a girl with her, Erica, but they…she didn’t make it long.

 And then Lydia and Stiles. Most of them were around the age of 22, but Laura and Derek were almost 30, and Melissa’s almost fifty. The older ones are the only people who really remember what the world was like, before humans became the minority and towns became barren wastelands. Everyone else was around six when patient zero escaped the labs and started infecting people.

“Remember school?” Scotts asks one day. They’re sitting in what’s been dubbed the living room, eating chips. It’s the only thing they have left in stock.

“Hardly.” Stiles scoffs. “I remember the teachers hated me.”

“I liked Math.” Lydia remembers. Cora snorts.

“You would.”

“I was a freshman when it started.” Laura sighs. “I had this one teacher, Harris, that really hated me. And Derek. I think he just hated our family.”

“I think he just hated everybody.” Derek grumbles.

They only bothered to keep kids in school from a few more years after the first outbreak. Lydia remembers them being so close to being middle schoolers before everything just shut down. Remembers that, by then, most of the students lived at the school, because their parents’ workplaces had been invaded and they’d lost them.

She was one of those students.

“You ever wonder if the world’ll ever get over this?” Isaac whispers. “if we’ll ever go back to how it used to be?” The room quiets.

 _No_ , Lydia thinks. _I doubt we will_.

 

 

* * *

 

 

Stiles lets out a shout of pain when she tightens the cloth over the gash on his leg. It’s deeper than she thought, and still hasn’t stopped bleeding.

“That’s…” he pants. “That’s a lot of blood.”

“You’ll be fine.” She promises. He sighs.

“I don’t think I can move on this.”

“You have to shoot me.” she says suddenly. He turns his head toward her so quickly, she’s afraid he’ll get whiplash.

“What?!”

“When I start to turn. If I start to sound even the slightest bit different, Stiles, you have to promise me –”

“I’m not shooting you!” He shouts. She snarls.

“You have to!”

“I can’t! I won’t.” he shakes his head. “You can’t ask me to do that.”

“I’ll kill you!”

“I’d rather that then me kill you.” Stiles snaps. “Death doesn’t happen to you, Lydia. It happens to everyone around you, okay? To all the people you leave behind, trying to figure out what to do with their lives now without you in it. And if you die? I’ll literally go out of my _fucking_ mind, and I’m crazy enough as it is. So no. I do not want to be the one that ends your life. Sorry to disappoint.”

She stares at him. It all seems to click then.

“You love me.” she gapes. He sputters.

“What? Why would you – _how_ did you – _what_?”

“You love me.” Lydia repeats. “You’re in love with me. you wanted me to come with you because you – you _like_ me.”

“I –”

“Are you _insane_?!” She shouts. He flinches back, looking angry and hurt.

“I didn’t chose to fall in love with you.” He bites back.

“You took me to get that comic with as – what, a date?” She laughs, practically hysterical, because this? this isn’t happening.

No one was supposed to fall in love with her. There will be no love life, not ever. Not while the world is such shit, and everyone could lose their lives so suddenly, without warning. She’s seen the cost of loving someone and losing them, sees it on Boyd’s face every day. On Scott’s. She doesn’t want to be the one to put that look on Stiles’ face, because she –fuck, because _she loves him too_. She loves him, how can she not, he’s funny and smart and amazing, and she can’t – she _won’t_ – be the one to put that look on his face.

“You know, I knew you wouldn’t feel the same, but I didn’t think you’d laugh at me.” Stiles grits out, voice cold.

“Well then, you don’t know me very well.” She lies. He narrows his eyes.

“I know you better than anyone, and you know it.” His eyes widen, suddenly, and she knows he knows. He _knows_. “I know you’d push someone away fi it meant sparing them pain in the end.”

“Don’t.” She pleads.

“Don’t even bother trying.” He sits up. “No attempts of pushing me away will ever get me to stop loving you.”

“You can’t say things like that.” She shakes her head. “Look at me, Stiles. I’m dying.”

“No.”

“What do you mean ‘no’!? I’ve been bitten! I’m infected, my life is over. In a few hours, you’re going to look like food, and I won’t care whether or not you die.”

“But you do care now.” He shrugs. She looks away. “Lydia.” And then, louder. “ _Lydia_.”

“What?”

“We’re both dying.” She opens her mouth, but he continues. “We’re stuck here, with no food, and no water. I have no idea what part of town this is. The rest of them don’t know where we are. And I can’t move. I love you. You…you feel something for me. I know you do. So can you just stop trying to push me away and sit with me one last time?” he sounds tired. He _looks_ tired.

She goes to him.

 

 

* * *

 

 

_There are people screaming, and the sound of gunshots ringing outside. The teachers are trying to get all the students somewhere safe, but Lydia knows it pointless. Everything they do is pointless. She knows that they’ll all die, eventually, if they stay here. She goes with them anyway._

_“Hey.” Someone says, grabbing her arm. She turns._

_It’s the Stilinski kid. She knows who he is because he’s loud, and because his dad’s the sheriff. Or, was, until the zombies attacked the station. “You should come with us.” He says._

_“Us?”_

_“Mrs. McCall and some older kids said they’ll take us somewhere safe.” He nods. “Where the outbreak never reached.”_

_“That’s not possible.” He grins._

_“Maybe. But you always gotta have hope, you know?”_

 

 

* * *

 

 

When she opens her eyes, it’s  morning. Lydia doesn’t remember falling asleep. The last thing she remembers is Stiles wrapping an arm around her, the sun setting outside.

She should be turned by now.

She should be foaming at the mouth, attacking anything that moves, _eating people_ , but she isn’t.

What?

“Stiles.” She shakes him. He groans, stirring.

“Ow.” He mumbles. Right. The ribs.

“Stiles, look at me.” She tells him. He blinks his eyes open and stars at her. then he bolts up. “Careful!” She scolds. He gapes.

“You – you’re not – but _how_?”

There was a study, when it first started. She remembers. The infection takes less than a day to spread, and never longer. It’s been over  day, she knows, and she’s fine. There’s no black blood pouring out the bite in her side, or coming out er ears and nose. Her skin isn’t turning a sickly grey. She feels fine, better than yesterday, even.

“I don’t know.” She answers honestly. She gets up. “Come on. We have to move. You need help.”

“I thought you didn’t want to risk – fuck!” Stiles yelps, hands going to his side when she tries to help him up.

“Sorry, sorry.” She gets one of his arms over her shoulders and gives him the gun. “Just – hold on, and shoot if you see anything. We’re getting back to camp.”

 

 

* * *

 

 

They make it back, eventually. Melissa looks like she’s about to cry when she sees them, and Scott actually does. Derek calls stiles an idiot for risking his life for a comic book, which basically means he’s glad they’re back.

Melissa takes them both to the infirmary, and she’s skeptical when she sees the bite in Lydia’s side, but then Laura comes over and rolls up her sleeve to show the pale bite scar there.

“It’s possible.” She explains. “To be immune. I don’t know if it’s random or if it’s because of a specific gene, but it’s happened.”

“So she’ll be okay?” Stiles wonders.

“Yeah. She’ll be okay.” Laura promises. He grins.

“Good.” and then he leans forward and kisses her.

The zombie apocalypse isn’t exactly the best time to fall in love, but it’s the only time they have.

**Author's Note:**

> My [tumblr](http://littleredtheboy.tumblr.com/). Come cry over Stiles with me.
> 
> want me to write anything? [Send me a prompt](http://stupidgenius.tumblr.com/ask).


End file.
